During his nineteen-year tenure, Nottingham oversaw a number of high-profile cases, such as a copyright infringement case involving Michael Jackson,[6] a ruling barring the State of Colorado from withholding public funds for abortion,[7] a ruling invalidating a law creating a federal "no-call list" for telemarketers[8] which was ultimately overturned,[9] and the prosecution of former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio for insider trading.[10]
Although Nottingham's talent as a jurist was never in serious dispute, the consistency of his work and his judicial temperament were matters of widespread concern. On the one hand, The Denver Post reported that Nottingham had a reputation for judicial efficiency, and as "one of the best legal minds on the bench".[2] He received both notoriety and admiration for dressing down witnesses,[2] demanding professionalism from attorneys,[11] and punishing lawyers who brought what he judged to be frivolous cases by scheduling them for hearings at 6 AM.[12]
In August 2007, a complaint of judicial misconduct was filed against him with the Tenth Circuit and an investigation started that included two hearings over the course of a year; the complaint concerned allegations that he had spent thousands of dollars at a strip club.[13][14] Over the course of the year, he was also named as a figure in an investigation into a prostitution ring, in which a prostitute said that he had asked her to mislead investigators.[15][16] He resigned from the bench on October 21, 2008,[15] and the misconduct charges were dismissed, as he was no longer a judge.[17]
Private law practice
After leaving the bench, Nottingham opened a private law practice in Colorado.[18]